ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the symbolic meaning associated with the 1989 political change in the Balkans, and particularly in the case of the former Yugoslavia, by identifying constitutive cultural and literary debates that have reflected and framed perceptions of the regional borders. In the sense that, in context of European literature, Croatian and Serbian, together with Montenegrin, Macedonian, Bosnian, Bulgarian and other regional literatures, remain in the European shadow. The transformation of social and political framework in the Balkans is frequently analysed as a part of the post-1989 political system transformation of Central and Eastern Europe. The significance of the debate is furthered following its ability to offer thematic insights into issues of immediate public interest as well as reflecting upon their origins and historical continuity. As a consequence, the metaphor of the Bulgarian question credibly articulates Balkan borderscapes imaginaries as part of the overall post-1989 European borders and society rationale.
